European Patent Specification No. 0016649 (Application No. 80300890.3) describes a process for producing a reformed rice product by the cold extrusion of a dough formed from a composition comprising a mixture of pregelatinized and ungelatinized flour, sodium chloride and fat in powder form, to obtain simulated rice grains and then drying the simulated rice grains at an elevated temperature. The reformed rice product produced in this manner rehydrates in water in about three minutes and the time required for the preparation of a simulated rice from such a product is thus significantly reduced.
We have not developed an instant rice pudding mix which is a mixture of granules preformed from rice flour by extrusion and a powder containing a starch which provides the overall body of the pudding on rehydration of the pudding mix with hot or boiling water. An instant rice pudding mix of this type would not, however, be formed from the reformed rice product disclosed in European Patent Specification No. 0016649.